Inkjet printing is a process of producing an image on a substrate, such as a sheet of paper. Inkjet printing is an additive process in which one or more printheads eject drops of ink onto the substrate to form the image on the substrate. The printheads are operated with reference to digital image data that represents the image to be printed. Printing a multicolored image generally requires at least one printhead for each color. Additionally, printing high resolution images often requires multiple printheads of the same color that are interlaced to provide the increased resolution. Accordingly, many inkjet printing systems comprise arrays of several printheads arranged in rows and columns.
FIG. 8 shows a prior art architecture for a scalable printhead array 800. The printhead array 800 includes a plurality of printhead assemblies 804. The printhead array 800 is configured to include a variable number of printhead assemblies 804 arranged into rows and columns in a variety of possible arrangements. As shown, the printhead array 800 is scalable up to 50″ in width and includes up to fourteen printhead assemblies 804. Each printhead assembly 804 is configured to receive a printhead module 808 and to mount to frame 812 of the printhead array 800. FIG. 9 shows a more detailed view of one of the printhead assemblies 804 with a printhead module 808.
To ensure optimal performance of an inkjet printhead, the printheads must be well-maintained. Typically maintenance operations include purging, capping, and wiping. Prior art mechanisms for printhead maintenance are not easily adapted for scalable printhead arrays. Being able to configure a printhead maintenance system so it is easily scalable for use with a scalable printhead array would be beneficial.